A. Magoi help!

[BullTerrierChild]

My favorite fish has to be the Orinoco Dolphin Catfish (A. Magoi, PlanetCatfish.com - Ageneiosus magoi (Auchenipteridae) Cat-eLog), so much so that I bought 4 of them for my 75-gallon tank. They are all in the 5–6-inch range with 2 males and 2 females. I have noticed that both males, however, have become very skinny with twig-like bodies, while the females seem to look fine. I will admit that I mix fish (especially cichlids) from different areas to try and see what happens, and the dolphins sometimes take small beatings. I'm not sure that this is the underlying issue, though, as the females again look quite healthy. I love all of my fish as pets and am not looking into rehoming- I just bought a new hiding space for the more aggressive fish though it's too early to tell if it works. Please tell me if you have any suggestions for getting my male magois back in shape! Thank you (Again, this is only an issue in the MALE fish, which elongated their dorsal fin sometime around April)!

 

[Andy Sager]

Were the fish quarantined before adding to your tank?
Have the fish been dewormed? Catfish and most bottom dwelling fish are susceptible to internal worms.
Do you see the males eating? If not, that will lead to being skinny.

There is a downside to the "I will admit that I mix fish (especially cichlids) from different areas to try and see what happens" because different fish come from different areas for a reason. There is also a possibility that it's not just the males being harassed but they will show it faster because the females will have eggs making them appear heavier than the males. If they are all getting harassed and not eating, you have a bigger problem and those new fish should be separated from the others to try and get them better acclimated and back to a more fuller condition so that they can better handle any possible harassment in the main tank. Another option is to remove the harasser(s). In reality, a 75 gallon tank is not a large tank for aggressive fish. You may not want to rehome fish but you may need to get some of your fish a different tank to live in. One size does not fit all when it comes to fish.

Hope this helps

 

[BullTerrierChild]

Were the fish quarantined before adding to your tank?
Have the fish been dewormed? Catfish and most bottom dwelling fish are susceptible to internal worms.
Do you see the males eating? If not, that will lead to being skinny.

There is a downside to the "I will admit that I mix fish (especially cichlids) from different areas to try and see what happens" because different fish come from different areas for a reason. There is also a possibility that it's not just the males being harassed but they will show it faster because the females will have eggs making them appear heavier than the males. If they are all getting harassed and not eating, you have a bigger problem and those new fish should be separated from the others to try and get them better acclimated and back to a more fuller condition so that they can better handle any possible harassment in the main tank. Another option is to remove the harasser(s). In reality, a 75 gallon tank is not a large tank for aggressive fish. You may not want to rehome fish but you may need to get some of your fish a different tank to live in. One size does not fit all when it comes to fish.

Hope this helps

Thank you, I appreciate this. I'll discuss what to do soon